Three things we learned from Arsenal draw as Dan Ballard comes back to haunt injury-hit Gunners
Arsenal were left heartbroken at Sunderland when Brian Brobbey equalized late on to end their 10-game winning streak.
The Gunners looked set to take all three points in the north-east after Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard both scored in the second half.
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Goals from both men canceled out Dan Ballard’s opener and put Arsenal on course to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.
But Brobbey found the net just minutes from time as Sunderland fought back to earn a 2-2 draw.
And, here, Standard sport looks back at three things we learned from Arsenal’s draw at Sunderland…
Second-half fightback ends in heartbreak
With just a few minutes remaining, it looked to be an impressive victory for Arsenal.
The Gunners had been poor in the first half and Sunderland’s plan to turn the game into a start-stop affair was effective.
Mikel Arteta’s team couldn’t get into rhythm and it would have been justified to give his players a boost at the break.
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Maybe he did, because Arsenal were a different team in the second half.
The Gunners looked to have victory tied up after Leandro Trossard’s second-half goal (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)
They played with pace and determination, and the goals from Saka and Trossard were no more than they deserved.
In truth, Arsenal could have been even further ahead – and Martin Zubimendi had an effort hit the crossbar.
The Gunners’ hard work, however, was undone deep into injury time when they fell to a late equalizer.
Strong defending has been the cornerstone of Arsenal’s good start to the season and so Sunderland’s late goal came as a shock.
It’s not often that Arteta’s side fail to deal with a ball in the box, but credit goes to Brobbey for an acrobatic finish.
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Ballard ends streak of clean sheets
All the talk in the build-up to this match was centered around Granit Xhaka, but it was another former Arsenal player who came back to haunt them.
Ballard came through Arsenal’s academy but never made a first-team appearance and was loaned out three times before joining Sunderland permanently in 2022.
The defender scored his goal against his former club like a seasoned striker and not a central defender.
Ballard emphatically fired the ball past David Raya after a long free-kick fell kindly to him in the box.
Dan Ballard scored against his former club (Getty Images)
Arsenal may have been frustrated with the awarding of the free-kick, with Martin Zubimendi blamed for tripping Wilson Isidor, but they defended it poorly.
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Ballard beat Rice with the ball in the air, then was quicker than him when Nordi Mukkele nodded at him in the box.
It was the first time in over 800 minutes that Arsenal had conceded a goal and the goal ended their run of eight consecutive clean sheets.
Arsenal will host the international break
There is rightly talk of the new depth in Arsenal’s squad this season, but they look like a team that needs a break.
The Gunners have been uncharacteristically sloppy in defense and three away games in the space of eight days must surely have taken their toll.
Arsenal also lacked attacking options during the first half, and they were without six strikers for this match.
International break can’t come soon enough for injured Gunners (Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
Mikel Merino was again asked to replace the number 9 and he was quite solid, assisting Saka to score his goal.
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Arteta, however, will be happy to welcome back Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokoeres – all of whom hope to be fit for the north London derby on November 23.
Gabriel Jesus is also back in full training, although he is still a few weeks away from a return.
Their return will be a welcome boost during the busy holiday season.